


A Hero Enters

by Kava_d2



Series: Champions of Time [1]
Category: Fantasy - Fandom, Japan - Fandom, Romance - Fandom, Yaoi - Fandom
Genre: Fantasy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2018-03-01
Packaged: 2018-10-17 01:04:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10583199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kava_d2/pseuds/Kava_d2
Summary: When a young man gets saved by a mystery man, he finds out the truth about who he really is. Can he ever go back to a normal high school life? Would he even want to when that mystery man wants to help him save the world?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Male on Male story. This is not a Fanfic but a story of my own creation. I hope you enjoy! Please comment. If I see comments I will be more likely to update my story on a regular basis. Thank You!

Hovering lowly above the city, rain clouds started to brew in the skies of downtown Kyoto. It was roughly three in the afternoon on a Thursday, and the streets were about to burst with activity. The only activity currently were the construction workers working on a busted water main on the corner. They were always swift with their work, it never took more than a couple hours to finish putting together a broken water main. They were probably working a little more swiftly today as students would soon be filling the streets after being let out of school. A crack of thunder matched the timing of the final school bell for the day, they both echoed through the school halls. Tiny droplets of water had then begun to drip from the skies, slowly picking up pace before they fell on the emerging high schoolers.

"What? It's raining already?" a rather small junior mumbled to himself, as if he were the only one who paid any attention anyway. He wore a traditional school uniform, only the shirt wasn't buttoned to the top. It often got him in trouble with his teachers for not following dress code but he just couldn't stand how tight it felt around his neck. He lifted his bright amber eyes to the sky before closing them, letting the drops of rain fall onto his face. He wanted to beat the rain and get home before it started falling but now that he was here, he enjoyed the cool splashes on his face. They were refreshing after all. His black hair gently dusted the tops of his shoulders as he had his head tilted back to accept the rains affection. It was weeks since he had it cut. He knew he needed the haircut but convincing his mom of the use of money was a difficult task. After a moment he turned his head from the clouds to the world around him, just as he felt a hand slam down onto his shoulder. 

"Hey Mio, check it out, Yuki is coming" a younger boy with a bad bleach job slouched onto Mio's shoulder as he spoke, lifting a slender finger to point across the schoolyard. The tip of his finger landed on a young girl Mio’s age who was walking in his directions. Her long black hair hung well past her breasts, which were barely noticeable under her uniform. Mio simply rolled his eyes and turned away heading out of the school grounds.

"Come on Mio you know she's been into you since junior high why not make a move." The boy said making kissing noises next to Mio’s ear.  
"Cut it out Kiru." He could have screamed it at the top of his lungs but his friend would still have been oblivious. Kiru simply turned around making kissing faces to girls who happened to be walking behind them. They giggled and turned away from him. Kiru had always been a terrible flirt, no matter how horrible he was at it. 

Mio continued walking leaving his friend to be a flirt. It only took a couple seconds to exit the grounds of the high school and only a millisecond before Mio felt extreme relief as he left. It wasn't until he reached the light that he felt eyes on him. Looking around he caught glimpse of a rather tall man with brunette hair and dark eyes. From the distance he couldn't make out what color they were. He was standing there staring at Mio. He felt a small shiver run down his spine before he looked away and realized he was in the middle of the crosswalk. Everything happened quickly, but it felt like hours as he saw the car inched towards him. The horn finally started to blare as he felt the wind escape his lungs. The car must have been going pretty fast despite the time of day around a school. He thought about how bland it was to be killed by a speeding car. It wasn't until the air swooped back into his lungs that he got a sense of what had happened. He got the slight scent of lavender in his nose as his eyes focused on the figure hovering above him. It was the man before, the one staring at him. Had he saved him? Pushed him out of the way of a car? HE thought for a split moment how cliche that was and how it always happened in the anime he watched. He could feel the warmth of the other man as he gently sat him down on the ground. Was this for real? He looked behind the man, only to realize that his shoes has been knocked off from the blow that saved him. How fast must he have been moving to make that happen?

"W…what the hell?" The words spilled out. He was unable at this point to stop them. He glanced back up at the man only to stop dead at his eyes. Purple. He could make out the color perfectly now and for some reason they seemed a bit familiar. He shook his head to wake himself up from the near death daze he was in. Quickly he pushed the man away, realizing only at that second that he regretting doing so. 

"You alright, kid?" a soft velvet voice emerged from the mystery rescuer. The man stood adjusting his thick jacket and reaching a hand out to Mio. Mio froze for a moment, the severity of the situation not necessarily hitting him as it should. HE then slid his hand into the other mans and was swiftly pulled to his feet. Then, as soon as his hand was released, he realized the man was gone.


	2. The Cat

A quick chill came over Mio after realizing the man had vanished. He didn't even catch his name. He looked through the crowd of people gathering around and exhaled in defeat.

"Mio!" Kiru screeched, his eyes filled with absolute horror as he ran up to his friend. Mio's eyes focused on his fast approaching friend and the world seemed to snap back into place. The driver of the car stumbled out shouting at the top of his lungs, horns started to blare as traffic began to back up. A crowd of people surrounded Mio asking him if he was ok, if he was on drugs, if he had a concussion, if they should call the police. Mio couldn't handle the sheer amount of people involved in the situation and bolted. He ran quickly through the thick crowd and ignored the shouts from Kiru trying to stop him. He felt his heartbeat throb in his ears as he rounded the corner and started to slow down.

He pushed along at a slow jog until he reached his street. The house he grew up in was right in the middle of the school district, so he never had far to walk no matter what grade he was in. He reached the front door and took a deep breath. Hopefully his mom wasnt home, but then again, where else would she be. Entering his house as quietly as possible, he slid off his shoes and slipped up the stairs to his bedroom. He could hear the soft voices from the living room tv and knew she was there with her face plastered to the screen. He knew it wasn't good for her to watch the news but it seemed to keep her quiet enough and out of his hair so he let her. He loved his mother but she was a little on the crazy side. She would ask him repeatedly where he was all day, when she knew he should be in school. She was constantly confused and had a lot of questions about random things. Questions a sane woman her age wouldn't normally ask. Mio had been able to keep her sated for several years, despite being so young himself. Mio didn't mind taking care of her, but right this moment, he needed to be alone. He entered his bedroom and tossed his bag onto his bed, his thoughts still sputtering out memories of only a few moments ago, memories of that man. 'Who the hell was he? Was he following me?' Mio spoke softly as he paced the length of his room. He only stopped when he saw a white tuft of fur on his windowsill. He hadn't even noticed his window was open, why would it be? He hasn't been home all day after all. He moved slowly towards the window next to his bed for fear of scaring the small kitten. Or was it a cat? He couldn't quite determine the age, only that it had somehow gotten itself stuck on his second floor windowsill. It had short white fur with a single strip of black below its right ear. Despite whatever age it was Mio could tell it was small, maybe small enough to fit snuggly in his hands.

He watched it carefully, moving his feet closer to his med, the cat, at this point watched him back, with bright blue eyes Mio had never before see on a cat before. Mio rested one knee on his mattress, the other one closely behind, he reached a single shaky hand towards the cat, who didn't move. He was attempting to be extremely cautious, especially since the cat was so high up. If the kitten had jumped here and now it would have been no way it would have survived. He gently reached a little further, his knee now resting on the middle of his mattress.

"Come on you stupid cat, your gunna get hurt." He grumbled softly, moving forward still. When he finally felt the soft fur under his fingertips, it moved too quickly the only thing he could do was react. It wasn't until he saw the clouds overhead that he had realized how far he was out the window. He blinked as his knee slipped sending him and the kitten out of the window to the ground below.

Everything seemed to slow down after that. Mio could see the droplets of rain coming from the sky and meeting his speed as he fell. He was unsure if he would die quickly or if it would take a long time. Before he could finish his thought he landed on something. It wasn't concrete however, since he didn't feel any pain. Was he already dead so quickly? Did he hit so hard that he wasn't even aware that he had died?

His eyes immediately flew to his hands, the small cat within his grasp still. It looked to him with a small 'mew' escaping its little mouth. He exhaled glad that he and the kitten were safe, but curious as to what he landed on.

"do you mind getting off of my stomach." A deep velvet voice spoke to him, agitation hidden in its tone. Mio merely blinked before turning around and seeing that familiar purple gaze of the man who had saved him before. He jumped up as quickly as he could, the cat shrieking slightly with the sudden movement.

"I..I'm so sorry are you alright?" Mio stuttered slightly in the panic of seeing the other male again.

He simply rose from the ground and dusted himself off, as if being covered by some sort of invisible dust storm. The male stood a good 6'2'', and had a rather muscular frame, although it really couldn't be seen that well through his black jacket which hung down past his waist.

"Oh, so it's you..." he said rather bluntly. His frame gently stepped closer to the boy.

Mio was somewhat offended at what he said, what did he mean by that? He reacted to the advancing man by gently taking a step back from him. "What do you mean 'oh it's me'" he growled.

The man simply rubbed his forehead in response. "You need to calm down kid someone is going to call the cops with that noise."

Mio was getting frustrated now. Why did he keep appearing out of nowhere, especially twice in one day? Not to mention what a total jerk the guy seemed to be. "Maybe they should call the cops; you're following me aren't you!" Mio pointed an accusing finger to the man. The other man's eyes widened slightly then settled into a gaze that Mio couldn't read. Admiration?

"That is enough Mio!" a small rather raspy voice echoed through his ears. This voice was new; it wasn't the man he was staring at. He looked around confused until his eyes landed on the cat in his arms.

"D...Did you just talk?" Mio's gentle amber eyes widened with his own question. Of course this cat couldn't speak; he was a cat after all.

The cat gently jumped from his arms and sat on the ground looking to Mio. "Mio, I know you're upset but please be calm, we don't need to make a scene." The little puff of white spoke clear as day to the boy, its voice that of a man. Mio simply stood there in shock, his breathing increasing every second.

"Rioko, calm him." The cat said plainly, unable to hold on to its patience any longer. It shook its head before stepping past the mystery rescuer, obviously Rioko. "Bring him back with you, and be careful, you know your duties." With that the cat scampered off.

Mio stood there completely dumbfounded, his heart racing in his chest. He pointed a finger at Rioko and opened his mouth to begin to scream. Without a second passing Rioko was behind him, pressing gently on Mio's neck. Mio's vision began to blur and then it went black.


	3. A Hero Awakens

His eyes seemed heavy as he tried to peel them apart. It wasn't until he rubbed them that he could feel the crust falling away. He remembered mornings previously where he woke up like this. Nights when he couldn't sleep because he had to take care of his mother were the cause. However, this time was different. Everything was different. 

“Did you get enough rest?” He sat up to the sweet voice he instantly recognized. “Don't stress out your body too much. Try to stay calm ok?” His expression changed then. His eyes softened as he stood there with his arms crossed, his frame no longer hidden beneath the puffy coat he wore earlier. Mio looked around and realized he was in a suite at a hotel. 

“Where the hell am I?” He started before he heard the door open. A man with white hair entered the room. Mio immediately tenses up. “Look, I don’t have any money, and I have family that will be looking for me soon so please, I won’t file a report.” Mio started talking to the man who entered. Silently, the man sat down in the chair adjacent to Mio. 

“We aren't interested in your money, Mio.” Mio knew he recognized that voice but he couldn't quite place it. The man across from him shifted his gaze and held Mio’s for what seemed like an eternity before it clicked.

“The cat??” Mio could hear the shrillness of his own voice and looked to the man with the purple gaze for comfort, or maybe a sense that he wasn't going crazy right then and there. Mio’s gaze was met by the man and his heart sunk. Going crazy was something he always thought was a possibility. It seemed like it was in his genes anyway. The white haired man simply nodded a small smile playing across his lips. Mio couldn't tell if he was pleased he figured it out, or just enjoyed tormenting him. 

“Yes, Mio, the cat. I had to draw you out of your home somehow. We needed to get you to a place so that we could talk about something rather important.”

“And why the hell should I listen to anything you have to say.” Mio chuckled. He ran his fingers through his multicolored hair and stood up. “What's stopping me from leaving right now?” He asked, his urge to bolt out the door slowly creeping its way up his legs.

“Nothing necessarily, but I will mention that if you leave those doors your safety is on the line.” The man laced his fingers together on his lap. He hadn't noticed it before but the white haired man was wearing an incredibly well tailored suit, the kind only people with money would have. 

“Isn't my safety in Jeopardy here?” Mio continued to feel that urge creep up to his hips, he could feel his body tensing, ready to run at any given moment. 

“Not at all. You are, well...precious to us.” The white haired man didn't stutter and his golden eyes didn't waver in their gaze. 

“First, who the hell are you?” Mio scoffed. He tried to ignore the word precious as much as possible. There one no one he was precious to, that he was sure of.

“Ah forgive my rudeness, My name is Shiroichi, but I prefer Shiro for short. The gentleman to my side here is Rioko.” Rioko turned to Mio now and bowed his head, his eyes heated up the longer they lingered on Mio. Mio regarded him for a moment then continued his questions.

“Where am I?”

“My suite a few blocks from your home so you can walk there when we are finished if that is what you wish.” Shiro didn't seem to hesitate with Mio’s questions. Which eased his urge to run immediately. 

“So what is it you need from me?” Mio felt the itch in his legs to flee slowly subside. He was a bit curious now, and he didn't necessarily feel threatened right at this moment. To keep from getting too comfortable though he remained standing. If there was a moment for things to turn sour he could quickly make it to the door if he needed, he was sure of it. 

“ Mio I will be discussing a few things that you might have a hard time believing, but please bare with me until the end and I can provide proof as well as answer any questions you might have.” Shiro stood up and stepped away to a desk in the suite, he produced a file from the desk and walked back to where they were talking. “Mio the existance you have here is temporary. It had taken us a long time to find you this time so we don't have much time to prepare.”

“This time?” Mio asked a bit more hesitant for the answer this time. 

“Yes, this is your twenty second reincarnation. This will be the only question I will answer until the end.” Mio stood there with a dumb look on his face. He noticed Rioko turning away. ‘Is he smiling?’ Mio looked back to Shiro to focus.

“You my dear boy are what some people would call a hero. There is a great evil that this world does not know of, and the only reason they do not know, is because you, and others like you are there to stop it before it makes its mark. The evil which I'm referring to are demons.” Mio started laughing at this point.

“Your joking right?” a stray tear quickly dribbled out of the corner of mios eye and onto his cheek as laughter erupted from his lips. Softly his fingers brushed the tear away, his laughter subsiding as he looked to the serious faces of the men in front of him. “Demons, got it, continue.” He continued to try to stifle his laugh. 

Shiro simply sighed. “I understand how this sounds but please bare with me. In order to combat this evil, our gods saw fit to create champions. You are one of those champions. Every sixteen years these champions battle against the demon god to keep them from erupting to our realm.” Shiro sat back down in his chair with the file in hand. “You and several others like you have sacrificed yourselves every sixteen years to keep this from happening. Your body, too weak to go on, gets disposed of and you become born into another body. Many times we have done this. A lot of the time we were there for your births, other times we were there when you were a little older. This is the longest it's ever taken to find you this time.” Shiro exhaled as he flipped open the file and thumbed through some papers. Mio at this point was still stifling a laugh until with was abruptly silenced by the sight of the papers sliding towards him on the table.

Mio’s legs no longer felt like running, they felt like collapsing as he looked to the photographs splayed across the table. His legs eventually gave out sending his bottom into the couch where he sat dumbfounded. In each picture was Rioko standing next to someone who looked remarkably like himself. THe resemblance was uncanny. Each photo looked like they were taken at different decades, in different parts of the world. “Why is he in them too? Is he a champion?” The last word got caught in the back of his throat. There was no way this was real. 

“No he is not. He is your bodyguard.” Mio looked up at that.

“Bodyguard?” 

“Yes, every champion has one. Although they do not reincarnate every battle like you do. They stay alive so that they can find you, help train you and prepare you for your duties, protecting you all the while.” Shiro crossed his leg and bounced his foot softly waiting for Mio to respond.

“So that would make him…”

“350 years old.” This time it was Rioko who responded. “We were very close in age when this all began.” Mio could hear a bit of excitement in the back of his voice but couldn't place it definitively. Shiro cleared his throat and Rioko fell back in line, staring ahead of himself.

Mio continued to look through the pictures, the last few looked to be drawings. Probably since the technology of photographs did not extend past a certain year. Mio couldn't remember exactly when, but they covered it in history class. He moved things around in the file and came across a journal. “Did i write this before?” Mio asked looking for a way to open the journal. 

“Yes, we have kept it intact for you, since we have no idea the whereabouts of the key.” Mio noticed the lock on it and turned it over in his fingertips.

“Why not break the lock?” Mio looked to Shiro.

“Privacy reasons. None of us can really interfere or take part in the items you leave for yourself.”

“So all of this stuff were things I left for myself to look at?” Mio had had enough. HE threw the file on the table and stood up. “Do you think I’m an idiot? What are you trying to sell me? He moved a bit towards the door and noticed they weren't making a move after him. He quickly pocketed the journal before inhaling. This was his chance. “I’m not buying what you all are selling so forget it.” he moved so his hand was on the door. 

“Mio, I urge you to reconsider, however, I cannot force you. You know where we are if you change your mind.” Shiro stood and bowed before leaving the room. As if the choice to conclude the conversation was his idea all along. Rioko gave a stern look to Mio before he followed. Without a second heartbeat Mio was out the suite door and heading down the stairs with such speed that he didn’t know he had. 

He finally made it outside the hotel, a sigh of relief escaped from his lips. It was a short trip down the stairs from the hotel room but he felt exhaustion already creeping up his spine. Why did he feel so drained all of a sudden. The muscles in his legs felt like they were creaking with every movement he made towards home. THats right, home. His mother was probably out of her mind by now with him being gone so long. Then again she didn’t have far to go. She never could quite tell what time it was but always became erratic when Mio went out on his own outside of school. Thoughts of his mother, and the scene that occurred just moments before repeated over and over in his mind. Maybe he was finally losing it like his mother, then they could both be locked up and he wouldn’t have to worry about anything anymore. It wasn’t until he spun around a corner and slammed headfirst into someone else's chest that he realized he was running. Stepping back from the large frame he looked up at what he could only describe as one of the ugliest people he had ever seen in his life. It wasn't his outside looks that made Mio feel uneasy, despite those being pretty jarring. It was his demeanor that screamed trouble.

Mio felt his stomach juices churning in his gut as his eyes met with the man standing in front of him. He was tall, just about as tall as Rioko only he was thick. His biceps were the size of Mio’s head. He had beady yellow eyes that almost popped out from his sunken in face. His head was bald and it looked as if his body had swallowed his neck. Several scars were scattered over his face, some old, and some you could tell were fairly fresh. He gave a strange grunt as he stared down the younger boy. Mio’s could feel all the blood rush to his feet. He quickly moved to the side to pass the large beast of a man but he was blocked by a massive arm.

“Oy, where you think your going eh?”


	4. The Night Ends

Mio couldn't quite place where he had heard an accent like that before, perhaps a villain in a movie. He shuffled his feet backwards away from the man, his heart beginning to race. They had discussed fight or flight reflexes in school but he didn't realize he would ever be in a situation where he would have to use one or the other. He quickly shifted his footing and turned around to head in the opposite direction. Before he could even manage a few steps, the massive beast of a man had grabbed his collar and slammed him into the side of a building. 

The air escaped Mio’s lungs in one swift motion and he began to gasp. “Looks like you traveled down the wrong alleyway, mate. Your cash, give it.” he could feel the mans large hand gripping his shoulder against the brick behind him. There was no getting out of this one. He nodded and shuffled in his back pocket for his wallet. Quickly pulling it out the man snatched it from him, releasing his grasp on his shoulder. Mio could feel the air in his lungs refill and he coughed a few times to try to get his breathing back to normal. Tears began to well in his eyes from the burning sensation in his lungs. It wasn't until the man shuffled through his wallet and looked back at him that he knew he was in trouble. There was never anything in this wallet except for his bus pass, an onsen card and his school ID. His family had never been very wealthy and they barely made it month to month off of the money that came in for his mother.

“This seriously all you got mate? Thats gon be a problem then.” The man tossed his wallet onto the ground and then slammed a closed fist into his open hand. Mio could hear the knuckles cracking followed by an earth shattering crash from thunder. He hadn’t realized it since it was already nighttime, but a storm had moved in. Perfect, at least the rain would mask his tears as he got the crap kicked out of him, he thought. The last thing he saw before he closed his eyes was the man pulling back his elbow for the first punch. He took a deep breath awaiting the blow to make contact but it never did. He lifted his right eyelid a smidge just to get a good look and then opened both eyes fully, not really understanding what was going on in front of him. He saw the man mid punch, his fist a few inches from Mio’s face. There was a yellow current surrounding him, almost as if he was encased in electricity. 

“I suggest you move if you want to avoid that punch, I can’t hold him forever.” He could hear a small female voice from behind the massive beast of a man. Quickly he slid out of the line of fire and stepped around to where he saw a girl, his age. She was standing behind the thug with what looked to be a large whip in her hand, the rest of it encased the thug keeping him from moving. She looked up to Mio and smiled triumphantly before pulling the hilt of her whip back and releasing the man. The yellow, electric whip end fell to the ground buzzing a few times. The thug, now able to move curled into a ball and groaned, you could visible see burn marks from where the whip held him in place. “How about you get out of her before I grab you again sir.” She chuckled as she spoke. The thug wasn't having any of it and picked himself back up, obviously in pain, and shuffled off into the distance. 

“Wow that was awesome! How the hell did you learn how to do that!” Mio couldn't help but admire her. Despite the fact that he hadn't really registered what he had witness he still wished he could have pulled off something as heroic. 

“I've been training all my life to use this.” She tossed the whip to her other hand and gave it a quick flick, allowing it to roll up and then snapped it to her belt. With that Mio felt a sudden flip in his stomach. 

“You don't mean…” He couldn't really finish his sentence before she smiled down at the ground. 

“Yup, I'm a Champion, just like you Mio.” She giggled a little bit before she turned to face him. “My name is Aki Motsuwa. Nice to finally meet our missing member.” She gave him another smile before bowing in a greeting. Mio exhaled, his breath shaking slightly before he bowed as well. The introduction didnt last long before he quickly rose and started to walk off, although he didnt expect her to follow.

“Why are you following me.” Mio said, droplets of rain starting to fall from the sky.  
“Because it isn't safe for a Champion to be alone.” she said in a matter of fact type of way.

“Aren't you alone?” He questioned, somewhat irritated now. Sure she saved him but she was probably as crazy as the rest of that bunch back up at the hotel. 

“Nope!” she chuckled and put her hand next to her mouth almost as if she was whispering. “I dont know if you have noticed but there's a big lug of a guy hanging around a small distance behind us.” She gave a wide smile before turning around quickly. “Hey big lug! Why dont you stop creeping around and introduce yourself!” she screamed back. Mio stopped at that, eyes wide. She could have woken up the entire neighborhood with that yell. Before he had a moment to turn around and yell at her to shut up a large man built like a professional boxer stood next to the girl. He wore black from head to toe, almost as if he were trying to fit into the shadows. The only part that stood out was his short mohawk on the top of his head, the sides of his head were shaved down to the scalp, and a trimmed goatee. He looked like he could have been in a motorcycle gang if it werent for his clothes. 

“This is Ichigo.” The young girl smiled, flipping her black hair behind her shoulder. “He’s my bodyguard.” Ichigo grunted at this. 

“How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that. It’s annoying.” His voice was a husky somber tone, Almost as if he was deeply hurt by the word ‘bodyguard’. “Anyway nice to meet you kid. Glad they were finally able to track you down.”

Mio felt defeated in trying to escape this madness. To be honest he couldn't explain the whip situation either so the smart thing to do would be to get answers, right? “So, I’m the last one right? How many more of you are there?” He crossed his arms, rain now dripping from his hair. It was raining particularly hard but enough to soak them the more they stood around in it.

“Including you and me we have a grand total of five.” She held up a perfectly manicured hand that was dripping wet. He could see Ichigo rummaging in one of his pockets and produced a small umbrella that expanded. He held it over Aki who blinked realizing she was no longer getting wet. “Ahhh my hero.” she said brightly before she grabbed onto his arm and nuzzled her face into his bicep. “He’s always protecting me you know. It’s like we're married!” she laughed a bit. Mio looked to Ichigo and noticed his face change in some way. Ichigo’s head turned to the side, trying to hide his cheeks which were turning a light shade of red. 

“I think that’s enough questions for now.” Mio could hear a familiar voice coming up from the distance. The rain clouded his vision but he knew exactly who that voice belonged to.

“Ah Rioku, So nice of you to actually perform your duties.” Ichigo said with a sneer. There was some obvious bad blood there as Rioku didn’t even acknowledge his comment. He swiftly stepped up to Mio. 

“You should get inside, before you freeze to death.” He said sternly. For some reason Mio didn’t have the energy to fight him, he was tired and cold and so much had happened within the day that his exhaustion hadn’t even hit him until now. Mio nodded and turned away from them. Aki simply huffed before tugging on Ichigo's arm and heading off in the opposite direction, Ichigo of course right by her side. 

Mio walked alongside Rioku in the rain for a few minutes before he reached his home. Rioku stood there staring at the house with his hands in his pockets, his long sleeve shirt entirely soaked through. Mio couldn't help but stare at his muscular frame until he was caught.

“I dont suppose I can try to convince you that all this is real can I?” He said softly, interrupting Mio’s stare. Mio blinked a few times before answering.

“I dont know anymore. Everything seems so, so crazy. Im just a kid.” Mio ran his fingers through his hair and started chewing on his thumb nail. He had always been a horrible nail biter, but since the last day or so was so incredibly busy he never even thought about his nervous habit. He felt eyes on him.

“You are so much more than a kid.” Mio felt like Rioku’s eyes were stabbing him in the chest. Why did the atmosphere change so drastically. “Go inside, sleep on it, see how you feel tomorrow.” Rioku sighed for a moment before he turned and started to walk away. 

Mio reached out a hand for him, but pulled back and begrudgingly walked up the stairs and went inside his house. He could hear the TV on still as he removed his shoes and tried to wring out his wet clothes before stepping into the house.

“Mio? Is that you?” It was his mother, yelling from in front of the TV.

“Yeah mom its me.” He exhaled, preparing himself for the onslaught of crazy, but it didnt come.

“How was school, darling?” she asked simply. He paused for a moment before answering. 

“Fine, Just have a lot of homework is all.” He placed his hand on the handrail for the stairs, ready to head up.

“ Better get started dear. Did you eat?” Her face still was stuck on the television as she spoke. 

“Yeah I ate mom, Im good.” she simply nodded in response to that and made it up the stairs in record time. He stepped into his dark room and threw his jacket on the ground before hitting the light switch. 

Three things happened in that moment, the door was slammed shut, a hand was placed over his mouth, and a large frame leaned into him, pressing him up against the now closed door. Mio blinked a few times before realizing who it was.

“Dont yell, I don’t want your mother to worry.” It was Rioku, his eyes had a fire behind them he hadn’t seen before. He simply nodded, as that was all he could really do. He didn’t know if it was because lack of energy or because he genuinely didn’t feel threatened. Rioku released him and stepped back. Mio could feel the heat leave him and he wanted it back. 

“What are you doing here.” Mio’s voice was a whisper his heart was thumping so hard he could hear it in his ears.

“I forgot to give you something and I thought it was important.” He exhaled and ran his fingers through his wet hair. The other hand rummaged around in his pocket and produced a small key. 

“You thought this was so important that you had to break into my home?” Mio raised an eyebrow, taking the key into his grasp. Rioku froze for a moment before the most beautiful smile Mio had ever seen play across his face. 

“Yes, I did…” His smile faded as quickly as it appeared. “Get some rest. You are going to need it.” With that he stepped onto the windowsill and jumped. Mio rushed to the open window but couldn't see Rioku anywhere. He fiddled with the key for a moment.

“What the hell does this even go to?”


	5. The Journal

He set it down on his night stand before falling face first into his bed. He could feel his limbs finally relaxing and stretching. It felt good. He must have been tense for most of the day, which made sense given what he had been through. 

After a few moments of silence in his head, his eyes flung open. “The book.” He sat up and rummaged through the jacket he was still wearing. He slid it off, the book tumbling to the ground. But that meant...he knew I had taken it… He swallowed a hard lump stuck in his throat. How could he be so good and watching his every move. It made him uneasy and frustrated at the same time. 

He quickly grabbed the key and lifted the book onto his lap. He slid the key into the lock, noting that it fit perfectly. He turned and a small click echoed in his ears, sending shivers down his spine. “Why did Rioku have the key anyway? If this was his journal...why would he have it..” The question lingered in his mind as he opened the old pages of the book. They were so fragile he was scared that some of them would fall right out of the binding, despite its sturdy looks. 

His eyes widened a bit as he recognized the handwriting, his handwriting, however he had no recollection of every writing any of this. Some of it dating back several hundred years ago. He flipped back to the very first entry and squinted trying to make out the language. Was that..ancient Japanese text. Some of this dialect he knew had been dead for several decades but how would he know that? 

His fingers trace a few words and like the key he just put in the book, something unlocked in his mind.

A flash of light gave way and the letters in the book seemed to dance across the pages until he could read them. It was as if the book knew he couldn't understand but made him do it anyway. 

He read the first entry over 100 years ago

It seems as if I dont have much time to write this, but I’m desperate. They have separated Rioku and myself as our relationship is extremely taboo within the requirements of the order. We are to reunite on the day of battle and only then. My heart aches…

Mio pulled his eyes away from the book before him. Whoever this person was shared his handwriting and knew Rioko...no it had to be a coincidence, it couldn't be how they said it was. His eyes returned to the book on his lap.

They will not know of this journal as I will give it to Ryoku when I see him. I know the battle with kill me but the reincarnation will be swift. I only pray he finds me quickly after I come back. If my future self is reading this and needs affirmation, this is real. You need to train, you need to get stronger, so that she reincarnation can finally end and we both can live our lives in peace together. Trust Ryoku above anyone else.

His eyes began to feel heavy as he tried to read on but couldn't go any further. The book slipped out of his hand and stayed laying face down on the ground next to his bed. He was so tired it was only a matter of time before he off sound asleep. 

The next morning had already arrived and he was about three hours late for class. He wasn't surprised that his mother hadn’t woken him up and he fell asleep so quickly there wasn’t time for him to set his alarm. He sighed softly before sitting up in his bed, his hand gently cradling his face. 

Quickly realizing what transpired last night he looked to the ground next to his bed to find it empty, however, his end table was not. There the book sat, closed and locked next to a glass of water. Had his mom come in late last night? No she probably would have cleaned up the rest of the room while she was at it. No this was someone else. His eyes scanned his bedroom to find his window unlocked, but shut tightly. 

He grumbled softly as he got out of bed. Feeling sluggish he started to get ready, his mind combing over everything that transpired yesterday. From both near death encounters to the strange fancy hotel, to Rioko, in his bedroom. He gulped a bit before finally finishing getting ready and heading out the door, his mom not even noticing. 

He stood on his street for a few minutes, the hot sun beating down on him. To the right was the path to school. To the left was the hotel. At this point, he was curious at least. If not about anything but Rioko. “Im going but its not for you…” He said aloud to himself. 

“Do you often talk to yourself?” Rioko stepped up from behind him, his gaze soft.

“Why do you keep doing that!” Mio said angrily, but in actuality he was relieved he was there. 

“Do what?”

“Pop up out of nowhere.” 

Rioko smiled. Mio felt his heart thump in his chest.

“Would you prefer I ring the doorbell to get you next time?” Rioko said softly, eyeing Mio’s house. Mio knew what that would mean and how many questions he would have to answer if the other did do that. 

“No..this is fine I suppose.” Mio started walking towards the hotel. 

Rioko quickly caught up with his long strides. “So you read some of the journal?” He didn’t look to Mio and kept his eyes straightforward. 

“I did..” Mio felt his face getting hot. “None of it makes any sense but I’m curious so thats why im going..” 

Rioko simply nodded, not pressing him any further. Mio was glad he didn’t press anymore either. They both stayed silent for the rest of the walk to the hotel.


End file.
